For a juicy, picture-perfect turkey, follow these tips:
1. Go fresh. For the best flavor, buy a fresh
bird (you'll also save lots of space in the refrigerator that
would have been taken up by defrosting a frozen bird). Look
for "all natural" and "minimally processed"
on the label.
2. Know your audience. Organic birds are
wonderful, but can be pricey. If you have a crowd of gourmets,
spend the money, but a fresh supermarket brand will do just
fine for many families.
3. Cover the breast for juicy white meat.
The breast meat is very lean and will dry out easily. To prevent
this, before the bird goes in the oven cover the area (just
the breast, not the wings) with aluminum foil. This makes steam
under the foil to keep the meat moist. During the last hour
or so of roasting, remove the foil. I guarantee that this works!
4. Skip brining. Yes, I said skip brining.
All it does is add salt water to your bird. Use the foil trick
above and you will save a lot of hassle. If you insist on trying
brining, be sure to get a fresh bird that has not been "enhanced"
with sodium-laced liquids, or else the bird will be too salty.
5. Minimize basting. It may seem like basting
does a lot for the bird, but then the pan juices won't seep
through the thick skin to moisten the bird. Basting only helps
glaze the skin, which has some advantages, but not enough to
rationalize setting a timer to remember to baste. Every 45 minutes
or so is plenty. Remember that the oven temperature will go
down every time the door is opened.
6. Use an oven thermometer. Everyone's oven
is off a little…or a lot! An oven thermometer will let
you know if the temperature is accurate, and help keep you on
schedule.
7. Lose the chill. An ice-cold bird takes
longer to roast. Let the bird stand out at room temperature
for about 1 hour before roasting, or rinse it well with tepid
water to help it lose its chill.
8. Make turkey stock. Your gravy and stuffing
will be so much better if you make homemade turkey stock, and
hopefully you’ll have some left over to bolster your Friday
turkey soup.
9. Measure the drippings for gravy. Think
of gravy as a sauce--you make a roux and add a liquid.
10. Low and slow wins the day. A moderate
oven temperature will brown the bird at an even pace. High-temperature
recipes may sound tempting (you save time), but they make a
mess out of the oven.
Rick Rodgers is the author of
over thirty cookbooks, including Thanksgiving 101 and Christmas
101. The winner of Bon Appétit magazine’s American
Food and Entertaining Award for Outstanding Cooking Teacher,
he travels all over the country teaching holiday cooking classes.
His recipes have appeared in Cooking Light, Bon Appétit,
Fine Cooking, and other magazines.
